@marillo Globe-News: News: HPA supporters meet again 10/23/98

Supporters of Healthcare Professional Associates met for a panel discussion Thursday night.

The town hall meeting in the Pavilion auditorium was to discuss the city of Amarillo's decision to withhold funding from HPA.

At the Sept. 15 city commission meeting, $268,000 was cut from the Amarillo Hospital District's budget that had been allocated for pediatric support services through HPA.

In a previous interview, Mayor Kel Seliger said the commission was waiting to hear the results of an indigent-care study to be presented at AHD's next meeting. The study examined the nature of the indigent care provided through the AHD, which is its primary purpose, the mayor said. The requested money could be returned later through a budget amendment, Seliger said.

About 70 people attended the meeting. Many said they had children in HPA's care, while others said they were pediatricians. City commissioners were invited to attend, but none did. Several members of the AHD board attended, but none spoke.

KGNC reporter Stacy Yates acted as moderator for a panel that included Dr. Ralf Habersang and David Clark of HPA and Dr. Nathan Goldstein, chief medical officer of Northwest Texas Hospital. Goldstein said he was not speaking for NWTH. Marvin Qualls, Kristin Aragon and Carol Wampler, parents of current and former HPA patients, were part of the panel.

"To do away with health care for special-needs kids, that would be insane," Qualls said.

Goldstein said he was troubled by the city commission's resistance to clearing the money for HPA. He said three major groups provide care for special-needs children: HPA, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and the J.O. Wyatt Community Health Center.